Princess of Demons
by K'ger
Summary: Zoe has had to take care of herself since she had been a little girl. But when a mission goes horribly wrong, Zoe is going to have to swallow her pride and let a certain gold-haired Hylian help. Can the two teenagers fulfill a prophecy made centuries before their births' and kill four imposter gods? Or will they be the ones to fall? Teen for V, L, & mild SC. Modern AU. Link x OC.


Disclaimer: Saying "I own the Legend of Zelda" means about as much as "I am Groot".

**K'ger: WOO! New story! So, you probably won't believe me, but this story actually came to me in a dream. I dreamed about a scene that will appear later in the story, and everything went off from there.**

**Also, no flames please, I know that Modern AU's get a lot of hate around here, but just so you know, THIS IS NOT A HIGHSCHOOL FIC! The characters in this story never set foot in a school!**

**So I hope you enjoy this!**

* * *

><p><span>The Beginning of the End <span>

Part 1

* * *

><p><em>I wanna hide the truth,<em>

_I wanna shelter you,_

_But with the beast inside,_

_There's nowhere I can hide,_

He sat in the hard plastic chair, just like he had for the last three hours. He fingered the MP3 player in his hands, closing his sapphire blue eyes and gripping the small machine as the melancholic tune played through.

An older woman, probably in her late forties, exited a room across the hallway and clicked over to him, her high-healed shoes announcing her presence. Her gray-black hair was pulled into a tight bun, and narrow glasses framed her black eyes. She knelt down to look at him squarely.

_So they dug your grave,_

_And the masquerade,_

_Will come calling out,_

_At the mess you've made,_

"Hey," she whispered, looking at him with a saddened expression, she pulled the ear buds out of his delicately pointed ears, the dim fluorescent light playing across her face, making her look older still. "Link, come on, your momma wants to see you."

He stood up and pocketed the MP3 player, not bothering to turn it off. The woman put a hand on his shoulder and ushered him into a small room across the hallway.

A small group of people was gathered around a hospital bed. He could hear a machine beep as it detected vital signs, it progressively got weaker and weaker, until it barely made a sound. Lying with arms limp at her sides was a woman, a bloody bandage wrapped around her abdomen, and her head reclined against the pillow, her eyes open only a crack. The woman, his aunt, pushed him around the crowd and ushered him closest to the bed. The woman on the bed opened her eyes a little wider.

"Link, why've you been fighting with the boys again, baby?" She asked tiredly, looking carefully at his face, almond-shaped eyes focusing on the swollen blackness around his right eye. He reached up and winced as his fingers met the puffy, sensitive skin.

"They killed a poor little fairy, smooshed 'er with a stick. She didn't do nothin' wrong." He answered softly, not looking into her eyes.

"You're just like your daddy," she responded, her voice hoarse and raspy. "and he was a hero."

She sighed tiredly, and with what looked to take great effort, pushed a small package toward the edge of the bed, toward him. It was thin, about a foot wide, and wrapped in a shimmering silver and gold paper. Link looked down at the package, but didn't move. His aunt reached around him and took the package, stowing it in the partially opened backpack that was slung over his left shoulder.

"Got you covered, Link." She whispered, zipping the backpack closed and patting his shoulder reassuringly.

The crowd started to shift as the woman gasped in pain, holding a hand to her stomach. The machine started to beep louder, and more frequently, faster and faster. Link looked around, desperate, and watched as his aunt clicked out of the room. She came back with a doctor a few minutes later, who pushed Link out of the way and began to fumble with the woman on the bed, peering around the doctor's thick frame, he could feel the color drain from his face as his blue eyes zeroed in on a thick red splotch as it bloomed through the bandages.

"Link." The woman called weakly, looking in his direction with fear swirling in her weak, glassy eyes. She reached out with a smooth palm, jutting it toward him, beckoning him to come closer.

"Please, take my hand."

He looked at her hand, and then to her eyes, her irises seemed almost devoid of color as she extended her palm to him again, more urgently this time. He shuddered when he felt his aunt's hand touch his shoulder.

"Go on, Link. Take her hand." She coaxed, giving him a gentle push. But something inside of him, for some strange reason, refused to let him take her hand. He could feel a thin layer of sweat roll down the back of his neck as strange, a war raged inside his mind. One side begged him to take her hand, to melt under the pressure of his emotions. The other side commanded him to stay firm, be callous, and keep away from the woman.

"Link, take my hand," she said pleadingly. "Take my hand baby."

"Link, take her hand." His aunt persuaded, pushing his shoulder a little more forcefully, but it was too late, the woman's hand fell limp to the bedside, and a flat, high-pitched tone filled the room, coming from the machine across the way. An agonized sob met his ears, and an elderly woman sitting opposite him on the other side of the bed broke down in tears, burying her head in her hands. His aunt pulled away from him, and walked over to stand by the old woman, pulling up a chair to sit beside her and rub her back in calming circles.

_Run, boy. You have to run. Run like the coward you are._

The thoughts swirled in his mind, his heart started to beat faster, and faster, until it felt fit to burst right out of his chest. It started to beat so hard that it hurt, he held a hand to his chest, clutching it, willing it to slow down, stop hurting. His head began to feel almost foggy, almost trance-like. _Open space. Freedom. You need space._ The callous side of his mind had won.

He bolted, pushing past several of the people in the room and rushing out the door, sneakers squeaking on the sterile linoleum floor. His aunt jumped to her feet, starting after him. She was stopped with a large, muscular hand on her shoulder. She gave a small squeak, not expecting to feel such a forceful touch, and turning, was met by the doctor's bright green eyes.

"Let him go, Ashei. He can't go far, give him some space." The doctor coerced, looking at her from over the silver rims of his glasses. Ashei glanced toward the hospital room door, a look of worry and apprehension flickered in her black eyes.

"You think so?"

The doctor chuckled softly, causing Ashei to jerk her head back toward him, a fierce look playing across her sharply featured face.

"I know so, boys' his age are ticking time-bombs fueled by hormones and ready to snap at any minute. He just needs some alone time to blow off steam. Trust me."

Link ran through the hallways, his sights set on an automatic door fifty yards away. Through the thick panes of glass, he could see the moon, full and glowing bright yellow in the otherwise black sky. For some reason, the moon was a welcomed sight, making his heartbeat slow as he continued toward the door, gasping in relief as the doors swung open and he was assaulted by a gust of chilling air. He ran into the frigid night, sprinting into the wide-open field that rested behind New Castle Town Hospital.

The grass was covered in thick, frosty dew that crunched beneath his feet as he ran, soaking his blue sneakers in seconds. The air was dense with an October fog, making it hard for him to see. He gave a loud cry as his toe caught on something and he was sent flying forward, and landed painfully on his stomach, knocking the air from his lungs, it felt like someone was grabbing his lungs and squeezing the life right out of them.

"Ouch." He moaned, rolling onto his side and clutching his side, gasping for air. He couldn't hold it in anymore, and within minutes, tears were slipping down his cheeks as he sobbed quietly to himself. His mother, the only person who had been there for him in his young life, was dead. Killed, ruthlessly shot down by a band of thugs. And for what? Fun? Was killing supposed to be some cruel sort of sport? Where was he going to go now? His grandparents? They lived fifty miles away in Kakariko City, and the only place he had ever known was New Castle Town.

A low, guttural rumble snapped him away from his own morbid thoughts, he looked up from the frosty grass, and his eyes met with two glowing red orbs about ten feet away from him. They weren't human. His entire body stiffened as he started to make out the features of the creature before him. It was a wolf, a very large wolf, almost twice the size of an average wolf. Its coat shimmered bright gold, with flecks of sliver ticked along it's back. It took a step forward, it's paws crunching on the grass.

Link froze, his heart skipping a beat. The wolf continued toward him, its mouth slightly agape and revealing a set of wicked fangs that glistened with saliva as it approached him. They were inches apart now, the wolf reached forward and touched its nose to his forehead, warm breath ghosting across his face. Link shuddered as the wolf came even closer, and sniffed his neck.

He could feel his joints stiffen further as a low rumble rose from the wolf's throat, the growl got louder and the wolf's hackles rose up, he watched as the beast's muscles rippled beneath it's coat. Link cursed himself for not expecting what came next, and gave a tortured cry as fangs ripped into his flesh, the wolf dug it's teeth further into his neck, he could feel warm liquid dripping down onto his shoulder and down to his stomach, For the first few minutes, as the wolf clung to his neck, the pain was excruciating, like twenty knives being dug into his body.

But as he lost blood, the pain dulled, until the only thing he felt was a fuzzy, all-over numbness. Seconds later, the wolf let go, and he slumped to the ground, his neck still bleeding as he lay on the ground, his own blood pooling beneath him. In one way, he wanted to cry, to let the pain of the last day wash away with tears, but he was beyond tears now. As he lay there, he could hear a faint sound, and it took him a few moments to figure out what it was.

_When you feel my heat,_

_Look into my eyes,_

_Its where my demons hide,_

_Its where my demons hide,_

_Don't get to close,_

_Its dark inside,_

_Its where my demons hide,_

_Its where my demons hide,_

Those were the last words he heard, as his MP3 player continued the song softly in his pocket, he slowly drifted into the comfortable darkness…

* * *

><p>Nine Years Later…<p>

* * *

><p>Despite the December chill, New Castle Town was bustling. It was the Mid-Winter Festival, when citizens of Hyrule celebrated an event heralded and held in high regard as the start of the new era. (Although it was speculated that most Hylians merely celebrated the fact that winter was almost over, for Hyrulean winters were particularly harsh.)<p>

Legend told of time when Hyrule was taken over by a ruthless, unnamed demon. The demon was said to have ruled the kingdom for over one hundred years with an iron fist, killing any and all who dared defy him. But legend also told of a young man whose parents, both war heroes who fought against the Demon King, had died. As time told, he was chosen by the goddesses long before his birth to be the kingdom's savior. Wielding a sword blessed by the goddess Hylia, he set forth and challenged the Demon King…and won.

And so it was that, on the same day each year, when the December winds howled wickedly at night and the sun seldom shone that Hyrule celebrated its freedom with food, drink and dance. However, what the people of New Castle Town didn't know, was that the Underground never rested. The Underground was an entire sub-society within the city walls, thriving off of the peoples' ignorance and lack of interest in security. There were several large gangs among the society, but the most feared and venerated was called The Vigilantes.

"What's the plan, sir?" A voice whispered in one of the many, cold, dark, trash-filled alleyways of New Castle Town. Four hooded shapes crouched behind a dumpster, watching as throngs of people walked past the alley without a second glance, completely unaware that they were being watched. The tallest of the hooded youths' shifted around to glance at the one who had spoken, who was seated on the far left.

"Divide and conquer. Pipit, Karane, take Faron blvd. up to the second turnpike, no one will suspect anything as long as you meld into the crowd. Fledge and I will take Valley View rd. to Main st." The tall youth answered commandingly, rising up from his crouch and looking toward the street. He flicked a hand across the shoulder of the person beside him, beckoning him to stand up with him.

"We'll meet up at the stands, you know the plan from there, right?"

The two other hooded figures stood and nodded to him, their silvery-black jackets concealing their faces as they strode into the crowd, disappearing among the other people who were strolling about. He gave the other youth a meaningful nod and turned, striding confidently into the street.

He shouldered through the crowds, several people gasping as he boldly pushed them aside and made his way into New Castle Town Plaza. The Plaza was an enormous crossroads, from which you could reach a highway that led to nearly every province in Hyrule. The streets had been paved in cobblestones in respect of the old era, and tall, leafless trees lined each street. But the roads were closed to traffic today, in light of the festival, and all along the roads, vendor booths had lined up to vie for attention from the masses.

He expertly wove through the crowd like a cat would wind around its master's legs. He blocked out the loud thrum of activity, and instead began to calculate escape routes, he never entered an area without gauging the exits, only the stupid left themselves without an exit plan. Ahead, he could see a wide set of bleachers, metal glinting in the strangely filtered winter sunlight. Two hooded figures were loitering around its base, reading a sign attached to the bleachers.

"You made it," One of the figures, a female, addressed, dipping her head in greeting before glancing toward the next isle of vendors. "So the one's down there?"

He nodded, following her gaze toward the brightly colored tents. Great masses of people were milling about the isle, glancing toward this vendor and half-listening to that vendor as each one tried to get everyone's attention, claiming that their product was the best and that their neighbors' were inferior. Without another word, he motioned for them to follow and headed down the isle of vendors, his eyes set on a tent near the other side of row, with a cerulean colored banner hanging above the front desk.

The vendor they were headed for had baskets piled with produce in front of the desk. Apples, pears, and grapes were a just a few to name of the fruits and other products that the vendor was peddling. The vendor was a short, thin man, with golden hair that was balding around the top, he wore a bright red vest and baggy tan trousers that seemed almost two sizes too large for him. Seeing all of the potential customers, he rubbed his greasy hands together and called to members of the crowd as they passed his stall.

"Karane, Pipit, you know the drill." He said quietly, stopping about twenty feet from the stall and letting the two of the others' pass him. The two approached the stall, and immediately received a harsh, suspicious glare from the shopkeeper as they nonchalantly eyed his wares. They began testing wares like any scrupulous buyer would, touching the pears, and checking the shine of an apple.

"Sir, the others' have arrived." The boy who had stayed behind whispered. He and the other hooded youth smiled contentedly as, from between the vendor stalls, more youths wearing the same silvery-black jackets crept out from the shadows, slipping into the crowd and creating a rough half-circle around the food peddler. Even in the mild sunlight, a six-inch emblem could be seen glittering with gold fabric on their right shoulders. The emblem depicted a golden wolf, with piercing red eyes.

"AGH! You sniveling little brats! Give those back!" The shopkeeper screeched as the two grabbed whole barrels over-flowing with apples, several falling to the cobblestones and being squashed underneath their feet as they scrambled frantically to escape with their spoils. The shopkeeper skittered out from behind his desk and jumped after the two, who dashed past the half-circle of hooded youths and headed for the nearest alleyway, one of the youths, a giant among them, grabbed the shopkeeper and threw him backward.

The shopkeeper crashed into his own stall, sending barrels of produce spilling over and his till box smashing to the ground. Now was his chance, he jumped forward and grabbed the till before the shopkeeper could gather his wits, in the swift motion, his hood was thrown back, revealing his face. He had sharp, angular features, with shaggy golden hair falling in front of his intense eyes, sparkling cobalt as the sun glinted against them. Tucking the till under his arm, he bolted, waving his other hand to bring the other youths with him.

"Police! POLICE! I've been robbed!" He could hear the shopkeeper yell. He sped up, many people giving surprised and angered cries as they were pushed aside by close to ten youths in matching jackets. They sprinted out of the plaza and dodged into a dark alley, feet pounding on the puddle-strewn asphalt as they made their way for staircase that led somewhere underground. The entrance was tapped-off with bright yellow caution tape, but they merely ducked underneath and sped down the stairs, some taking it two stairs at a time.

They entered a massive tunnel, with walls covered in intricate, swirling mosaics that depicted various important moments in Hyrulean history. Some of the pictures were small, and showed soldiers marching or horses grazing at the foot of a smoking mountain, about the height of a human, but others stretched all the way across the ceiling to the other side. One of the most impressive pictures' was of a giant bird, with the face of an owl and the wingspan of a vulture, it was colored an off-white with orbs of gold spotted around its body.

It was portrayed as flying over a gigantic castle, with blue-tiled turrets and white stone walls. The bird seemed to be chasing four demonic creatures, a tall, lithe man wearing a tribal mask and bearing a spear, a mechanical bull with horns that resembled the blades of a sword, a gargantuan fish with three rows of sharp fangs and a horn on its forehead, and a two-headed insect with sharp blades running all the way down it's back.

One of the youths' stopped suddenly, looking around the tunnel in confusion, he grabbed the giant by the shoulder as he passed.

"Fledge? What are you doing? Let go of me!" The giant growled, wrenching his shoulder from the smaller boy's grip.

"But Groose, he's not here!" Fledge insisted, looking back toward the staircase. Groose scoffed and turned to look in the same direction.

"Who? Who's not here, Fledge, use your words!"

"Our master you giant buffoon!" Fledge shouted, his voice echoing through the tunnels.

He stood at the edge of the staircase, one hand gripping the caution tape, the other hand holding the till to his chest. He stared across the alley, eyebrows low over his blue eyes in indecision. There was a little girl, probably no more than six years old, rummaging through a trashcan. Her light brown hair was tangled and dirty, with small bits of debris stuck here and there. She wore a tattered red dress, with paisley flowers strewn across what remained of the fabric, she shivered as a gust of frigid December whipped down the alley.

"Hey! What are you doing?" A deep, rumbling voice called from the staircase below him, the giant youth bounded up the stairs, his voice startled the little girl, and she whirled around, clutching her own shoulders against the cold, her brown eyes were wide with fright.

Groose followed his gaze and then groaned when he noticed the little girl, he put a hand over his face and shook his head.

"We can't." He hissed, glaring at the little girl. She shrank back against the wall, her eyes darting between the two boys.

He didn't answer Groose, still staring at the girl, he suddenly tossed the till box at giant boy and started to slowly approach the girl. He knelt a few feet away from her and smiled reassuringly.

"Hello there." He said in a soft voice, the little girl sank down the wall to sit on the cold, wet ground.

"What's your name? My name's Link."

The little girl looked up at him, he could see that she was unsure of whether or not to answer him.

"M-my name's Rei." She said finally, clutching her shoulders tighter.

"Rei, that's a pretty name. Where are your parents?"

She looked toward the road, watching as people passed the alley without any interest of what was happening, blissfully unaware of the struggle that went on within the darkness.

"I-I don't know."

"Hmm, and when did you last see them?" Link asked, looking at the girl a little more carefully, she was desperately thin, he could tell just by her wrists, the way her bones jutted out. Her lips were an unnatural shade of blue.

"Um…a year ago?" She answered unsurely.

Link recoiled slightly, he had expected a few weeks, maybe a month. How had such a small girl survived for an entire year?

"Would you like to come with me? I have food, and it's warm."

She looked at him with a stunned expression on her small face. She didn't even pay attention as Groose gave an exasperated snarl.

Link carefully reached forward and scooped her up, lifting her so that she rode on his shoulders, she barely weighed anything, making Link worry for her health more so than he had before. He was stopped at the top of the stairs by Groose, who blocked the path with his arms.

"Link, we can't take her in. We've already got more than we can feed!" He growled, looking at the little girl with disdain. Link bristled and pulled himself up to his full height.

"I can do whatever I want, I am the one with authority here." He said in a dangerously calm tone. His eyes narrowing to nothing more than slits.

"But think about it! She's sick! We've already got sick kids! We can't handle any more. You need to leave her here."

Link stepped forward, the toes of his scuffed leather boots touching the giant youths similar shoes.

"Are you challenging my authority, Groose?" He asked, smiling deviously, revealing his teeth, which glinted white. His canines were abnormally large.

Groose threw his hands into the air and stepped aside, consenting to his superior's command and allowing him to pass. Link strode down the stairs with yet another orphan who needed tending. Such was the motto of The Vigilantes: **Curam Indigentes. **Take care of those in need…

* * *

><p><strong>K'ger: There you go! First chapter done!<strong>

**Ok, so we're going to do something fun, I'M HAVING ANOTHER CONTEST!**

**Here's the question:**

**What song do the lyrics that were in the beginning of the story belong to?**

**Here they are again:**

* * *

><p><strong>I wanna hide the truth,<strong>

**I wanna shelter you,**

**but with the beast inside,**

**there's nowhere I can hide,**

* * *

><p><strong>So they dug your grave,<strong>

**and the masquerade**

**will come calling out,**

**at the mess you've made,**

* * *

><p><strong>When you feel my heat,<strong>

**look into my eyes,**

**it's where my demons hide, **

**it's where my demons hide,**

**Don't get too close,**

**it's dark inside,**

**it's where my demons hide,**

**it's where my demons hide.**

* * *

><p><strong>The first person to get it right will get to design an Original Character that will appear later in the story!<strong>

**And does anyone know what movie I spoofed at the beginning? I hope everyone guesses!**

** I really don't have much to say here except READ & REVIEW! I love reviews!**


End file.
